Once Upon a Time, They Met
by Ivy Tante
Summary: AU drabble folder over how Cloud met Tifa... #1: The Cell. #2: The Stranger. #3, The Patient: While playing in the ruins of Midgar, Denzel and Marlene stumble upon something neither expected. And even though they're not supposed to be in the dangerous area, there are times when trouble must be faced - to save a life, or two...
1. Chapter 1: The Cell

A/N: Oh, the plot bunnies have attacked, and my Tifa muse decided to join them in the ambush. She's been clambering for a really hot situation lately, and I think this fits the bill nicely. Goddess knows my Cloud muse is grinning over it. But in the meantime... Help! I'm being bombarded by the cute, fluffy masses of these blasted plot bunnies! Someone save meeeee...

 **Summary:** AU one-shot! (In-Game) Although she had nothing to do with AVALANCHE's bombing of a Mako Reactor in Midgar, Tifa Lockhart is taken right out of her 7 th Heaven bar and into custody, to be questioned because she just so happens to know the leader of the group. And finds herself at odds with one of ShinRa's **SOLDIER** s. Can she get out of this mess intact? And just how much help, or hindrance, can she expect from this Cloud Strife? Set right after the bombing of the first reactor in the Final Fantasy VII game.

 **The Cell**

By Ivy Elise Tanté

Tifa Lockhart walked round and round the eight-by-eight concrete cell, afraid right down to the soles of her feet. ShinRa troopers had invaded her bar not three hours ago, taking her and many of her patrons into custody on the flimsy excuse of 'terrorists ties'. Apparently one of her long-time friends, Barret Wallace, was a member of an organization calling themselves AVALANCHE, and the fact he frequented her bar was all the reason they needed to lock her up.

So she paced. There was nothing in the cell, just smooth floor and walls, until you reached the opening nearly ten feet off the floor. The only way down into the room was a rope ladder that was lowered, then hauled back up. She'd been allowed a bathroom break nearly an hour ago, but hadn't seen anyone or even heard any voices since. Even during the break, the only ones around had been her and the guard.

Being so isolated wasn't comfortable, not with the way the guard kept eyeing her. More than once, Tifa found herself despising how generous nature had been with her curves. It was all fine and good when trying to attract a man she was interesting in, but as for the unwanted leers from the troopers that came to arrest her? Blech. She did not at all like the situation she was currently in.

The sound of boot heels ringing on the concrete caught her attention, and she watched as the rope ladder was lowered into her cell. What confused her as someone began climbing down was that her guard was leaving his post; she could clearly hear him walking away, and the door at the end of the corridor slammed a moment later. Then she identified the uniform of the man agilely shimmying down the ladder and flattened herself against the wall in shocked reaction.

For whatever reason, ShinRa had sent a **SOLDIER** to question her. A 1 st Class **SOLDIER** , to judge by the color of his clothing. He reached the bottom of the ladder and leaped lightly down the rest of the way, his boots barely making a sound on the concrete floor. Turning, he stood there in the dim light studying her intently. The **SOLDIER** was a blonde, his pale spiky hair standing up all over his head, although a few lock framed his startlingly angelic-looking face. It was the eyes that had her heart pounding with fear. They were the most concentrated blue she'd ever seen, with the glowing green stain of Mako rimming his pupils. There was nothing showing in those eyes, neither pity or disdain.

He wasn't tall, this man whose body and mind had undergone the enhancement of Jenova injections and Mako showers. Around average height, he was slender yet gave the impression of incredible strength in the agile, rigidly controlled grace of his movements. The broad shoulders narrowed to slim waist and hips, and ended in surprisingly long legs. Something about him -despite the angelic face- hinted at a hard and uncompromising nature.

The uniform was modified from the **SOLDIER** standard, as she understood was acceptable for those of 1 st Class. He wore the normal black sleeveless cable knit sweater, but his sported a zipper down the front. The black many-pocketed pants were regulation, as were the zip-up boots. But he wore only one pauldron on his left shoulder, and it bore a snarling wolf symbol instead of the insignia of **SOLDIER**. A sleeve had been added to conceal his left arm, and a dust skirt shrouded his side from the waist to his boots, again on the left with a strap crossing over from his right shoulder and two from his right hip. Both hands were gloved, but the bare right arm sported a bracer that reached nearly to his elbow. A stud in the shape of the same snarling wolf on his pauldron adorned his left ear.

Tifa had to turn her face away, for the faintly glowing too-blue eyes unnerved her. She still did not understand why she was here, and the presence of the **SOLDIER** frightened her badly. They had quite the reputation, those men. Of strength, endurance, speed, stamina, skill. But there were also whispers of cruelty and arrogance, and the belief they were a breed apart that should not be denied whatever they desired. There were a few that did not fit the rigid mold of the many, but nothing in his manner hinted he might be one of them. It was not a good thing to be under the control of such a man.

"Tifa Lockhart, I presume," he said quietly, apparently finished with his initial survey of her. His voice was a bit of a surprise; low, soft and sensual, with just a touch of husky to keep the tone from being too pretty. Leaning against the wall behind him, he crossed his arms over his chest and one ankle over the other. It was a casual pose, relaxed and unselfconscious. He appeared unarmed, though it was hard to tell for sure with the way his clothing was arranged.

"I don't know why I'm here," she found herself whispering, edging herself into the corner furthest from him. Tifa was very aware of how her clothing exposed her; the tight, sleeveless white t-shirt that ended inches short of her belt, the way her suspenders outlined the lush contours of her breasts, the very short length of her black leather skirt that only enhanced the appearance of her long, slender legs, the dark brown hair that swirled nearly to her knees. And between that t-shirt and skirt, her small waist curved and flared into alluring, slim hips. She was allowed to retain her long black fingerless gloves that reached nearly to her shoulders, but the elbow guards, bangles and leather fighting gloves had been taken from her before she was put into the cell.

The **SOLDIER** took his time looking his fill, and a slow, appreciative smile appeared as his eyes traveled back up to her face. "You don't? Then I guess I should tell you." He uncoiled from the wall with such supple movement Tifa involuntarily gasped. The faint smile grew wider as he approached her. "It is believed that you have information as to the whereabouts of an AVALANCHE member, namely the man called Barret Wallace."

"He's a friend," she admitted, seeing no reason to deny knowing him. Barret had been the closest thing to a father she'd known since leaving Nibelheim years ago. "When I arrived in Midgar, he was the only one willing to give me a job. I worked hard for him, and when the chance came, he backed me so I could buy 7th Heaven outright instead of renting."

The glowing eyes drifted a bit as he considered this information. "When did you realize he was involved in AVALANCHE?"

It hurt, those casual words. Tifa bit her lip and turned away. "Months ago. I thought it was all just games to them, but I wanted no part in it. I wouldn't let them meet in the bar, and when Barret became angry about it I offered to finish repaying the loan right away instead of continuing the payments. He was so mad he refused to speak to me further, and stopped coming in until two days ago." Oh, would she ever forget that night? "He told me to get out. To close the bar and leave town. I laughed at him and said it was too busy to close, and offered him a drink. Barret snapped back that they were bombing Reactor 1, and I laughed at that too. That was the final straw for him and he slammed out. Then later I was cleaning up the bar and the explosion knocked out the power."

"You didn't believe him," the statement was spoken quietly, almost gently.

Tifa didn't trust him, but again, she saw no reason to lie. "Why should I have? He's been like a father to me for years. Barret has a temper, but I've never seen him like he was that night. So hard, so cold, so angry. I know about his past, what happened in Corel, how he lost his hand and why he had a gun grafted to the stump. But I just never thought he would willingly kill innocent people in nearly the same way his hometown was destroyed."

Nodding, the **SOLDIER** came closer still, and suddenly Tifa found herself crowded into the corner - he was barely a foot from her and leaning one hand on the wall just over her shoulder. "I thank you for your honesty, Tifa." The way he said her name was so caressing she blushed. "And I'm not sensing that you're withholding anything from me. But the next part might not be so easy for you. I need to know where Barret could be now. He abandoned his apartment weeks ago, sold the vehicle registered to him, and removed all his gil from both banks he frequents. He's in the wind, and we have to track him down quickly before more people die."

Sadly Tifa shook her head. "I wish I could tell you. After the explosion I tried to call him, but that phone is no longer in service. I also tried his friends -Jessie, Biggs and Wedge- but their phones aren't on anymore either. Checking their apartments was next, but the troopers came before I could do that."

The narrowing of his eyes let her know this was new to him. "Those names, give them to me again." Pulling out a little datapad, he typed in the names, addresses and numbers she gave him. "What can you tell me about them?"

She was breathing easier now, since he'd moved back a little to record the information. "Not much, as I wouldn't let them meet in the bar. Jessie would be their explosives expert; she was in the infantry's weapons development department for a couple of years. Wedge is a geek, knows computers back and forward and likes to hack. The one time I let him fix my computer I think he accessed some website he shouldn't have. I guess I should give you the codes so you can see whatever it was that he did." Tifa offered shyly.

"Thank you," he said graciously, placing his hand on his chest and bowing slightly.

As she couldn't tell if he was being mocking or not, she continued, "And Biggs was an army commander in Wutai. I don't know what division, but I assume that would give him the knowledge to plan and carry out an attack."

Finished inputting the data, he tucked the pad back into a pant's pocket and again leaned over her. Something about the look in his eyes had her shrinking back from him, though he wasn't making any threatening moves. "You've been far more help that you might believe. We didn't know the names of any of his group because none of them have records. Do you know where they are from?"

Tifa closed her eyes to clear her thinking, since the **SOLDIER** was now close enough his scent was affecting her senses. It was a surprise that he smelled like a summer storm, when the wind would suddenly whip up dust and leaves as it blew the scent of thunder and lightning just ahead of the pouring rain. "Wedge is from some fishing village on the Wutai continent. Biggs, I think, grew up in Mideel, and Jessie is from the slums of Sector 6. Barret, of course, is from what used to be Corel, but he's lived here in Midgar for nearly a decade." Opening her eyes, she remembered, "One of his friends is Cid Highwind. I don't know that he has anything to do with the bombing, but if Barret were on the run, wouldn't he go to a friend? Cid has his airship, the 'Highwind', that could take Barret anywhere."

"That is a possibility." One hand reached out to stroke her cheek and Tifa forgot how to breathe at the feel of leather caressing her skin. Crowding even closer, he whispered in her ear, "I am Cloud Strife, Tifa."

Oh, she'd heard _that_ name before. Of all the **SOLDIER** s in ShinRa, if you just _had_ to be captured by one, pray it was him. Though to be honest, Zack Fair was a close second and Kunsel Moreno a strong third. All three were known for their compassion and integrity, and their tendency to walk out on a limb to keep civilians safe from the intrigues of ShinRa. It relaxed her enough that she could smile at him despite the trapped feeling his nearness inspired.

But when his hand dropped to mesh with hers and pin it firmly to the wall, her heart did a funny little flip. "Cloud," she gasped, alarmed when her other hand was pinned as well. Moving with that incredible grace, one of his legs slid between hers even as he tugged slightly to the right. Suddenly she was out of her corner and flat against the wall, both hands shackled over her head by one of his with his knee braced on the concrete. Tifa now had one of her legs draped over his, which hiked her skirt up to the point the nearly sheer white lace of her panties was visible.

His wicked smile frightened her; they were alone, the guard was gone, and she had no way to defend herself against a man with the strength of a dozen. "A kiss, Tifa?" he breathed against her lips. "Just one before I arrange for your release?" Those glowing blue eyes had gone hot and narrow, slits with blue fire sparking out to singe her. But he made no move to lean forward, seemingly content to wait on her decision.

Slowly her heart stopped pounding, though she was still board-stiff with tension. "Just one?" she finally managed to ask, feeling as though her words were tripping over her tongue. Enmeshed in his scent, it was hard to think as she kept breathing in that storm smell. There was also his warmth where her body touched his, the fact they were so intimately entwined, and his hands keeping hers pinned so she was helpless.

"If that's all you want," he agreed, voice low and sensual. "But I'm more than willing to give more than that, if you would like." The tone was beguiling, and she found herself swaying closer until her lips brushed his. It was tender and soft, that touch, sweet and stirring. When Tifa leaned back, there was surprise in his eyes, and he blinked before taking a deep breath. "Very nice," he admitted, "though I was hoping for something a little... deeper." The tone of his voice went low on the last word.

It made her tremble. "Will you let go of my hands?" she asked, wondering why he was holding them in the first place, as well as why he had her in the position he did. Was he planning a little ravishment? Tifa was ashamed to realize she wasn't as adverse to that thought as she should be.

Obediently he released her hands, and Tifa hesitantly curled them around his neck, tangling her fingers into silk-soft hair. Tilting her head slightly, she placed an open-mouthed kiss on his lips and moaned when his tongue slid inside to twine with hers. His taste was even more intoxicating than his smell, and all sense of time was lost as the kiss dragged on. Finding the strength to pull away, Tifa found herself utterly wrapped around him, legs clutching his thighs and arms anchored about his neck. The blush came fast and furious as she tried to push him away so she could catch her breath, her legs sliding down his until they hit the floor.

Cloud seemed to realize how badly she was struggling and slowly stepped back from her, chest heaving, face a bit flushed. "That," he admitted in a breathy tone that dangerously weakened her knees, "was a lot hotter than I bargained for." Reaching out, he ran his thumb over her bottom lip even as he licked his own, relishing the taste of her. "I'll authorize your release, but ShinRa will be keeping a close eye on you from now on." Considering his words carefully, Cloud offered, "If you would let me stay at your bar, it would keep most of the suspicion off you. And no one would come to arrest you if it was known I lived with you."

"But that would make people think..." and her voice trailed off as he smiled wickedly again. "You _want_ people to think we... um... are... living together?" Why couldn't she say the words? _Are you really such a derp, Lockhart?!_

And his smile deepened. "You are a beautiful and honest woman, Tifa. Why wouldn't I want it known? It would be an honor to..." and he leaned forward and whispered right against her lips, "...be thought of as your lover."

Having it right out in the open had her head spinning. "I just met you, Cloud..." she started, voice desperate.

He released her and let out a laugh. "And yet you trust me enough to let me touch you." Cloud continued to grin while she gaped at him. "Come on, Lockhart. I looked at your dossier before I came in here to talk to you. You're an accomplished martial artist. I might be **SOLDIER** , but my bones will break just like a normal man's. If you really didn't want my hands on you, you would have struggled. But you didn't. That tells me a lot more than you think."

It was humiliating to realize he was right. Covering her eyes with her hands, she muttered, "I can't believe what's happening to me." There was fear in her voice, and suddenly Cloud was clutching her hands to pull them gently away from her face.

"Don't be afraid, Tifa. This hit me the same way. I climbed down that ladder to question a suspect in the Reactor 1 bombing, and suddenly I can't even keep track of what I'm saying. All I can pay attention to is your lips, and how much I want them on mine. And I'm starting to feel frantic to protect you."

That had her head raising, "Protect me from what?"

"ShinRa. If we don't catch a member of AVALANCHE soon, they will start searching for a scapegoat. You're the only one they really have in custody right now that would qualify, because you knew members of the group. And were warned about the bombing. If I don't get you out of here, and find a way to reassure the ShinRa that you didn't have anything to do with the explosion, they'll order your execution." The words poured out of Cloud, since he knew they were racing against the clock. "I don't want anyone to talk about you with disrespect, but if ShinRa thinks you're my girlfriend they'll leave you alone. Right now the **SOLDIER** s are too powerful for them to aggravate us. That might change in the future, but for now I can protect you by being close."

Realizing he was being truthful, Tifa braced herself and nodded. "All right. I'm really nervous about this, but okay." She put a hand on his chest and asked, "You'll give me time, right?"

And Cloud assured her as he pulled her towards the stairs, "All the time you want. But I still reserve the option of attempting to seduce you occasionally." When she would have protested he cut her off with a kiss so hot it left her lips vibrating. "You'll get dinner, wine and candlelight, and possibly a movie out of it before you shut me down and send me to my room to pout and dream about you, Lockhart. How is that punishment?"

Tifa balked when he tried to get her to ascend the ladder first. "Not in this skirt, you..." Another kiss silenced her opinion of his morals.

He laughed lightly into her mouth, "I think I'm already in love with you, Tifa. Now up you go, and stop squawking. I've seen that teasing strip of white lace you term underwear already and I deserve some type of reward for not ravishing you against that wall like I really wanted to."

Blushing the whole way, Tifa climbed the ladder, wondering how in the world she had ended up in this situation...


	2. Chapter 2: The Stranger

A/N: Just another of those first meetings between Cloud and Tifa. I don't really think any man without massive brain damage could help falling in love with her; her character is just _so_ incredibly strong yet nurturing, and the warmth she projects just draws people to her without any hesitation.

 **Summary:** One-shot AU. (Anyone surprised by that?) To Tifa, it's just another night in Seventh Heaven; with drunk patrons laughing it up and spilled beers sloshing over the floor. But someone is watching her, and even her regular customers are alarmed by the attention the unknown man is paying her. When she closes the bar early after Johnny notices the glowing eyes, the stranger appears suddenly from nowhere to confront her...

 **The Stranger**

By Ivy Elise Tanté

Tifa Lockhart was about fed up with everything tonight. The crowd in the bar was overly rowdy, with what they thought were witty come-ons and grabby hands. Even though the slums of Midgar were normally cold enough to cause frost on the _inside_ of windows, the room was hot and humid and smelled of unwashed bodies, sweat and spilled beer. The dim lighting -necessary because of the high electric bills- was made even worse since two light bulbs had died in spectacular fashion, flashing brightly then going black.

Moreover, that strange man in the corner was still there, just as he had been all afternoon.

He was wearing a dark gray hoodie that camouflaged his face, and seemed to be staring down into his coffee. That's all he'd asked for the entire evening - coffee. In a bar that served a variety of alcoholic beverages and was filled with people willing and eager to try her mixed drinks and draft beer, all he wanted was a cup of java. That, in and of itself, was weird. It was even weirder that several of her regulars commented on the fact he seemed to stare at her when her back was turned or her attention elsewhere.

Her childhood friend Johnny reached out to grab her arm as she passed by. Ignoring the way she jerked at the contact, he whispered, "Get out of here, Teef. I'll close up the bar tonight if you need me to, but get the kids and go someplace safe."

Confused, Tifa stared at him before asking, "What brought this on?" He was one that she could depend on if she needed help, and he had closed the bar down before when emergencies struck; such as when one of her children was sick, or her long-time friend and father figure Barret Wallace got into trouble again.

His expression was just a bit wild as he whispered, "I barely caught a glimpse, but that strange dude in the corner? I swear to the goddess his eyes were glowing."

The phrase hit her like a ton of bricks and had her stumbling backwards. _His eyes were glowing._ In the slums that meant only one thing: **SOLDIER**. And **SOLDIER** meant only one thing in the slums: Trouble.

Tifa took a deep breath, then another to shrug off the irrational panic. Resolutely removing her arm from his grasp, she told him, "It's only an hour before normal closing time, and I'm getting tired of this crowd and the smell. Go on now, Johnny. You've been in trouble in the past and I don't want that catching up to you now."

Though he nodded, it was reluctantly. "Sure, Tifa. But I'll hang around if you want. Barret isn't here and that worries me."

It worried her too; Barret was often late from his deliveries, but he always called ahead so she and Marlene wouldn't fret. Checking her cell phone merely confirmed there weren't any calls. "I'll be fine, Johnny. Go on home."

Giving the man in the corner another apprehensive stare, Johnny disappeared out the door even as Tifa made last call. There was some grumbling over the early closing, but no one protested raucously and the room cleared quickly enough. In all the confusion of ringing up the remaining tabs, Tifa lost track of the man in the gray hoodie and he was gone when the last straggler filed out the door.

Relieved, she locked up and started clearing the tables of bottles, glasses and mugs. Immersed in the accustomed work, she didn't realize she wasn't alone until footsteps sounded on the worn wooden floor. Dropping the busboy noisily on the tabletop, Tifa whirled around.

It was the stranger from the corner. She knew this since he was still wearing the gray hoodie from earlier. But the hood was pushed back now, and in the gloomy lighting his eyes were indeed glowing. Fear shot through her and she involuntarily stepped back even as her arm rose in a blocking motion.

"Easy," he said, his voice quiet and calm. "I'm not trying to scare you. I just need to talk." Carefully approaching her, he slid the busboy from her loose grasp and headed behind the counter. Unloading it quickly, he returned it to her and gestured to the other tables. "Finish up while I wash."

And just like that, he removed the hoodie and dropped it on the bar as he headed for the sink. Underneath was the standard issue **SOLDIER** cable knit in dark blue, tucked into his black many-pocketed pants. He peeled off his leather gloves and right arm bracer, pushed up the sleeve added on the left side of his shirt, and started washing dishes.

Tifa knew her mouth was hanging open but couldn't help it. As if in a dream, she picked up the busboy and cleared the rest of the glassware, utensils and plates, then placed it where he could easily reach it. Then she grabbed her cleaning supplies and started on the tables, wiping each down, cleaning the chairs, piling them on the tabletops. She was about halfway through sweeping the floor when he appeared with the mop and bucket and began the tiresome chore of scrubbing the floor. When she was finished, she took the spare mop and followed behind him. He was doing an excellent job but the mess required more than one pass if she wanted to get rid of the spilled beer smell.

It normally took her at least an hour to clean everything on her own, and the extra mopping would add about thirty minutes to her routine. But with the stranger's help it was completed in half that time. Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, she stored the equipment and stepped behind the bar. Sitting on one of the stools, he had an elbow propped on the counter and his chin resting on his fist. "Rough crowd tonight," he commented as he inspected the bottles offered on the back wall.

"Everyone is restless since the Turks have been seen in the neighborhood for the past two days," Tifa informed him and gestured at her stock. "Would you like anything other than coffee to pay for the help?"

"Whiskey, neat."

Tifa filled the order while trying hard not to be caught staring. She really wasn't sure what she expected any of the **SOLDIER** s to look like, but this man was a surprise because he was so young - Tifa figured he couldn't be more than a year or two older than her, and she was twenty. And he was handsome despite the unusual hair that stuck up in disordered spikes all over his head. The pale blonde hair was natural too, for his eyebrows were the same color.

He had one of those faces most would term angelic; triangular in shape with a sharp chin and defined jaw line. It made his eyes look larger than they actually were, but the startling color would make them stand out under any circumstances. Glowing from the Mako injected into his body, they were a shocking ocean blue of such concentration it was as though someone had condensed the sky and sea into one vivid shade.

Obviously she hadn't been subtle enough; those tempting lips were quirking at the corners in a smile more felt than seen. "Tifa Lockhart," he drawled out, somehow making her name a caress. His stillness and restrained gestures were geared toward making him seem non-threatening. Which struck her as pretty backwards as far as **SOLDIER** 's normal tactics were concerned.

"Yes," she answered, trying not to look intimidated by his mere presence. First the Turks and now a **SOLDIER**. What was next, the President of ShinRa? "Is there a reason you're here?"

It was a question he'd asked himself the entire time he'd sat in the Seventh Heaven Bar, located in the Sector 7 slums. Why _was_ he here? Cloud Strife wasn't sure he had an answer beyond the curiosity generated by a prisoner's impassioned request.

In the five years since becoming **SOLDIER** he had never been in the slums of Midgar. The assignments allotted to him and his friends had taken them all over the world but never into what could be considered his own backyard. Was there a rationale behind that? Since he was dealing with ShinRa, a part of him was sure there was.

But the bartender wanted a reply, so he gave her a half-truth, "I've never been in the slum before and wanted to see what it's like down here."

There was anger in her tone as she snapped out, "And what have you learned from being in here all evening?"

"That people are the same no matter where they live." That answer was pure truth, at least. There was loyalty and betrayal, joy and grief, love and hate, hard work and laziness. There was privilege and privation every where one looked. The only real difference was the location and the players involved.

Tifa was surprised by the quickness of his response. Most used descriptions when characterizing the slums; dank, gloomy, dark, smelly, depressing, decrepit, hopeless. That last term was one she often heard people say; utterly hopeless. And yet this man, this **SOLDIER** -one of a force supposedly heartless- saw the very humanness of the slums in one single afternoon. It shocked that he was capable of noticing such a thing.

"What is your name?" she finally asked, taking his empty glass and letting it sink into the soapy water.

"Cloud Strife." His smile quirked the corners of his mouth again at her surprise. "Yes, it really is me."

To say Tifa was stunned was an understatement. _This_ was the man who hunted down and killed the insane General Sephiroth when he went on a rampage across the world, killing any who crossed his path - including quite a few of ShinRa's own forces that were sent to stop him? With only two allies to help him, Zack Fair and Kunsel Moreno, he had tracked the elite of **SOLDIER** all the way into the wilds of Mideel before finally bringing him down in Banora. That village had been all but destroyed during the fight, and all three men were mortally wounded by the end of that heroic battle.

But the physicians at the Mideel clinic managed to keep them alive long enough for the accelerated healing due to the Mako in their systems to kick in. But their recovery had taken months, and many believed they would never return to ShinRa after learning of the truth behind Sephiroth's insanity.

Yet here he was, in her bar, sitting on one of her stools. It made her ask again, "Why are you here?"

She was shocked to see his head drop suddenly, as if all the weight pressing down on him had finally broken his spirit. The word he whispered out was even more surprising. "AVALANCHE."

Tifa felt her throat tighten. Barret was a member of the renegade group, as were her two friends Jesse and Biggs. And although she didn't know him very well, so was Wedge. Their cause was just, but the way they meant to stop ShinRa was wrong - _way_ beyond wrong. It would cost so many lives to destroy even _one_ of the reactors, and they fully intended to put a bomb in all _eight_ of them. Tifa had argued with them until she was blue in the face, but nothing she said convinced them to change their minds. That's when she threw up her hands and banned them from meeting at the bar to discuss strategy. The last thing she wanted was Barret's adopted daughter, Marlene, or her own adopted son, Denzel, to hear such talk.

Summoning her courage, she questioned, "What about them?"

Looking up at her, those glowing ocean eyes seeming to pierce deep within her soul, Cloud finally said, "ShinRa is trying to annihilate the group, and knows they are hiding somewhere in Sector 7. The company has charged to Turks to figure out how to drop the plate from above onto the slums. And I think they've come up with a plan."

Terror shot through her as she grabbed his wrist. "When? Please, please tell me so I can get the children out." Tifa didn't care one iota if she had to beg or barter the information out of him. She would give anything he asked without hesitation, just so long as her kids were safe.

Cloud wasn't one to mince words, so he answered directly, "As soon as they report in, ShinRa will order them to act."

Rapidly calculating, Tifa had an epiphany as she stood staring into those incredible eyes. Cloud Strife never acted alone - the two other **SOLDIER** s always backed his moves. "Zack and Kunsel; they have the Turks under control, don't they?"

The respect that flared into his eyes was gratifying as he affirmed, "Yes, they are. But the Turks can be very slippery, and I don't expect we can hold them for long. We have nearby forces to help us evacuate as soon as they manage to escape. I've been waiting for the signal, but..." His pause made her lean forward.

Why she felt safe enough around him to put a hand to his cheek she didn't know, but he closed his eyes with a sigh and tilted his head for better contact with her palm. Goddess, his skin was so warm, nearly fevered. "But...?" she prompted.

"I think... they don't want to break free. That they are trying to see what we will do to stop them, because they don't _want_ to complete this mission. It's almost as if... they are waiting for us to save them from this insanity." The doubt and uncertainly in his expression pulled at her heart even as his own horror over the situation tugged at her conscious.

Testing the waters, Tifa let her hand slide down his face to the side of his neck. The quick inhale had her smiling softly as she allowed her fingers to tangle into that silky hair at his nape. "Then maybe the two groups should work together to stop the company instead of just sitting here waiting for one to act." It was when Cloud opened his eyes -the look that he gave her- made her realize the real reason he was here. "Barret," she whispered, heart pounding in fear. "You've got Barret Wallace in custody."

"Yes, we do. And he offered all the information we could ever want if we would just save you and the children, Marlene and Denzel. He didn't ask for leniency, he just wanted the three of you safe. It intrigued me enough that I decided to come down here and see who was more precious to him than his own life." Touching her wrist carefully, he told her in his quiet voice, "Neither ShinRa nor the Turks are aware we have him. Wallace is under guard and will stay that way until we decide what action to take. I talked to him for hours, going over everything his group had planned. They were thorough enough that if they had had enough time it would have worked, and hundreds would have died." He sat there for just a moment and allowed himself the luxury of looking into those incredible ruby eyes. "And I think I just determined what we are going to do. Pack up your things, Tifa, and get your children ready. I'm starting the evacuation."

When he rose, he found Tifa had hurried around the bar to confront him. "But where will we go? I can't support my children if I don't have a bar to run." The slums were the only home she had ever known. To be cast outside of Midgar frightened her and she wasn't ashamed to show it.

Oh, the shock of having the **SOLDIER** Cloud Strife pull her into his arms. The slim body was lean and strong, hard and firmly toned. Tifa shivered as his warmth permeated every fiber of her being, making her weak as he gathered her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "That is something you will never have to worry about again, Tifa. Barret and I talked; if you are willing, you and the kids will accompany us to Mideel. There's a small village to the west of the springs that desperately needs something like Seventh Heaven. You could run it just like you do here, and Barret will be needed for deliveries since the area is remote. My friend Zack Fair has a girlfriend, her name is Aerith Gainsborough. She can make almost anything grow and would love to work in a garden outside, in the sun. She would be more than willing to help with the bar. The possibilities are endless down there, and out of ShinRa's immediate reach. Think about it, will you?"

Touched more than she wanted to admit, Tifa relaxed enough to lay her head on his shoulder. It was so strange to her that the embrace of this man wasn't repugnant or frightening. She felt... safe. Cherished and protected, even. Closing her eyes, she became aware of the scent of Cloud - a bit sweaty from the earlier heat of the room, but underneath was the smell of... lightning? That wasn't precisely right but it was the closest she could come to describing it.

Well, the decision wasn't very hard to make. If ShinRa wanted the plate brought down, then down it would come. Seventh Heaven would be destroyed no matter what she did to save it. And although she didn't know this **SOLDIER** , Barret had trusted his integrity enough ask for his help. And Barret was particularly protective when it came to Tifa and the kids. So...

"All right. We'll come with you," she whispered softly.

"Good. Now get moving. I'll signal the troopers that are willing to help us, and release the Turks. They can do as they wish. As soon as everything is underway, I'll come back to help you. There's several transports available to speed up the process, and allow you to bring at least some of your things." Cloud tightened his hold on her for just a moment before letting go. "And Barret was right. I'm a little annoyed over that."

Seeing the laughter in the too-blue eyes made her smile. "And what was Barret so irritatingly right about?"

Cloud reached out to stroke her cheek gently. "He said the easiest thing I would ever do in my life was fall in love with you. I watched you for hours, saw how you interacted with your patrons. You gave them hope and respect, all wrapped in the warmth of your personality. They fall before you like dominoes, Tifa; every last one. Please keep in mind I'm no more immune than the next man. Now go pack, and let me save you and your children."

He turned to go. But at the door he glanced back and smiled at her shocked countenance. "And you can save me as well, by giving me the incentive to finally part from ShinRa and all its evil."

When he was gone, Tifa drifted up the stairs and into the room the children shared. Waking them, giving them orders and a backpack to place their most sacred treasures into, she was startled to realize she wasn't afraid anymore. The loss of this version of Seventh Heaven would always haunt her. But the future was suddenly spread before her in a way never expected, and she wanted that chance, that opportunity to know there was more to existence that just the darkness of the slums of Midgar.

And she yearned to know just how much more her life could become if she dared to accept the **SOLDIER** so intent on becoming a part of it...


	3. Chapter 3: The Patient, Part 1

**A/N:** Many have asked why I prefer to pair Cloud Strife with Tifa Lockhart, and they aren't being snide - they are genuinely curious as to my reasons. Many like him with others, and this can range from Aerith, Yuffie, Lightning, Zack, Vincent, one or all of the Remnants, etc. *Chuckle* To this I have often answered with one single word: KARMA. Cloud as been through so much hell in his life I believe he truly deserves someone as fantastic as Tifa.

 **Chapter Summary:** Denzel and Marlene are playing in the ruins of Midgar when they find something out of place. And even though they know they are going to get into major trouble for being where they shouldn't be, there are times it's worth it. Especially if it's to save a life - or two...

 **The Patient, Part 1**

By Ivy Elise Tanté

Dodging around a piece of uprooted concrete, Denzel Lockhart flattened himself to the ground just behind it and tried to keep his labored breathing as quiet as possible. Somewhere else in this section of the ruins of Midgar lurked his sister, Marlene Lockhart. And if he could just stay hidden for five whole minutes, he would win their game of hide and seek and not have to wash a single dish for the coming week.

How the challenge came about still tickled him. Barret Wallace and Cid Highwind loved to spin tales just to scare him and Marlene, and the latest was about the beasts that prowled about the rubble, searching for tender young children to eat. In the end, Marlene had dared Denzel he wouldn't last five minutes - from her _or_ the residents of the wreck.

So here he was, crouched down on the leeward side of what appeared to be a column of some sort, deep in the gloom and as motionless as possible. Although he loved his sister dearly, it was time to prove that the two years between their ages made him the more mature sibling.

A faint pattering to the west had him cocking an ear, listening with all his being while his eyes scanned the area. The tower of debris to the left cast a thick shadow against the mid-afternoon sun, making his hidey-hole cool and dark. For a long moment there was only silence amid the destruction and wreckage of what used to be the Sector 5 slums. Then a strange, low moan came faintly from somewhere behind the boy, and Denzel leaped right out into the sunlight in shock, landing practically on top of Marlene as she dodged around a corner.

To give the young girl credit, she saw the horror in her brother's eyes and immediately steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "What is it, Denzel?" she whispered, trying to peer into the darkness of what she considered the perfect hiding spot, a bit envious she hadn't noticed it before. But she had seen the way Denzel bailed out of it in such a hurry and knew something was wrong.

"Something in there... made a noise," Denzel answered, still shaken. They both knew the ruins were dangerous; why else would their adoptive mother -Tifa Lockhart, owner of the Seventh Heaven Bar in Edge- forbid them to play in the area unless accompanied by an adult armed with weapons and/or materia? Both had thought she was being over-protective when that ruling was laid down, which was why they were in the ruins to begin with.

But monsters didn't moan - scream, shriek, howl, hiss, growl, and chitter, yes. The sound Denzel had heard was human, and in pain.

Taking a deep breath to bolster his courage, Denzel asked, "Can I use your penlight, Marlene?" When she handed over her key ring, he separated the little cylinder from the rest and hunkered down, preparing to crawl back in. But a second, even fainter moan had her grabbing hold of Denzel even as he grabbed hold of her.

Fear was in her eyes as she tried to tug him further away. "Denzel, please don't back in there. I'm so scared."

So was he, but it wasn't going to stop him from going down the rabbit hole, as Morpheus would say. There were two different voices he had heard so far. Was there more? Even though his nerves were crawling, he had to check this out. Midgar might have self-detonated over two years ago, but people were finding strange things in the ruins all the time. This wouldn't be the first time someone missing had suddenly appeared from within the depths of the wrecked shell of the demolished city.

"Stay right here, okay? If I don't call out in five minutes, run straight to Aerith's shop and have her call mom. Promise me you will." Denzel turned to her, eyes insistent. He didn't think he had the courage to go in if help wasn't near. And Aerith Gainsborough -one of their mother's closest friends- had innate magic that didn't need materia to function. It made her a handy ally in times of trouble.

Faced with her brother's persistence, Marlene finally gulped then nodded.

Shivering even in the mid-day sun, Denzel stooped and crawled back into the little nook. Working his way through the darkness, he kept going until the ambient light nearly disappeared. Cutting on the penlight, he shined it ahead of him and waited until his eyes adjusted to the gloom enough to see... bones. The sight made him jerk back in shock, and he inhaled sharply and breathed in enough dust to make him sneeze. But as heartrending as the sight was, they were just bones gleaming white in the little beam of light and posed no threat to him. Moving forward on his elbows and knees, he could see they were human and picked completely clean. As there was no smell they were probably from the initial explosion that crippled the city.

Once passed them, the darkness seemed to close in as the faint sunlight completely disappeared. Denzel found himself swallowing hard when the penlight revealed other bones hidden by the shadows, some of them small enough to be children. A faded and crumbling poster on the wall made him realize this place had probably been a daycare. Deciding that President ShinRa had met a fitting end when the upper levels of the ShinRa tower exploded, he stopped long enough to take careful inventory of everything around him. Monsters abounded; there was no such thing as being too careful in there.

Moving on, he reached an arch that confused him for a moment, until he realized it was the crumbling remains of a doorway, so buried in rubble he had to dig to make the opening large enough for him to get through. Wriggling into the narrow space, Denzel entered another room with the entire back wall missing. Presuming it buried in debris, he swung the light around and found himself looking into a dark opening with fragments surrounding it that had been blasted _outward._ Something had broken free, though Denzel couldn't see anything in the opening but a bit of black cloth.

As there hadn't been any other openings along the way, the moan had to have come from the niche in the wall before him. But it was taking a lot of courage to even contemplate going down that black abyss. Moving slowly, he reached the beginning of the blown-out debris and realized there was no dust accumulated on the pieces of brick and insulation scattered about. Whatever force had caused the blast had been recent.

And the piece of black fabric _moved_.

Denzel shot backwards into a far corner of what was left of the room, right into a massive spider web. Controlling his instinctive aversion with difficultly, he worked his way free of the clinging silk and sat hunched over with his hand to his pounding heart. It was humiliating to acknowledge he was so scared he was shaking. But if someone was down there, his panic wasn't helping them. So he gathered his nerve and approached warily. Shining the penlight closely made him realized what he was looking at was a black leather glove, frayed and in poor condition. He was better prepared when it moved again, meaning in all likelihood there was a hand in there.

Reaching out, he touched it as lightly as he could, and other moan floated through the dank air. When he curled his fingers around the glove, a shudder rippled through the worn leather and a sound -a sigh- came again. "I'm here," Denzel whispered. "I want to help you. Can you move any on your own?"

The silence stretched while Denzel scoffed at himself. Whoever this was, they had found a way to blast a hole in the wall, hadn't they? Then the hand tightened on his, and the sound of movement over gravel echoed about the tight space. Bracing himself, Denzel pulled gently as he tried to help them work free of the blasted wall.

The penlight illuminated what appeared to be a man dressed in some kind of dark clothing, although the color was impossible to identify because of all the dust and grit covering him. His hair was blonde and stood up in tufts all over his head, and the one glimpse Denzel had of his face indicated he was a young adult - just out of his teens, early twenties at the most. The movement cost him dearly, for once he was free of the opening he collapsed completely, his wasted frame racked with dry heaves.

Propping him up as best he could, Denzel pulled out the small water bottle from his hoodie pouch and unscrewed it, bringing it to the man's lips and doing his best to trickle it down his throat drop by drop. Too much water at one time could cause unpleasant abdominal cramps, Tifa had told him once during a hiking trip. Tremors continued to wrack the man and Denzel was embarrassed to realize he was crying, but was so dehydrated his eyes could not produce tears. "It's okay, I'm here. I'll get you to safety, okay?" Since water was essential, he continued to drip it into his mouth until about half the bottle was gone.

It seemed to help just a little, for the man made a sound, a soft whisper and a cry at the same time. Although Denzel tried as hard as he could, he didn't understand what he was attempting to say until he remembered there had been two different voices. "Stop, stop," he said, hoping to end the man's obvious distress. "I heard two of you, right? There is someone else down there?"

His nod was sharp, and this time he managed to articulate enough that Denzel caught the name, "Z-Zack."

"Zack is still in there? And what is your name?" Denzel was shivering at the thought of going into that black hole, but if someone else was down there needing his help, then by the Goddess they would have it. The awful shape of this man made him fear for his companion.

"Cloud," said a second voice, stronger and more lucid than the other man. "A hand?" he asked, and he sounded right at the end of his physical endurance. Another black leather glove was thrust through the opening.

Denzel shifted Cloud carefully and crawled his way over to help Zack. It didn't require as much of a pull to bring him up from below. Zack was a tall, nearly gaunt man dressed in much the same clothing as Cloud, but his hair stood up in tufts of black instead of blonde. He looked to be a little older, and had a scar on his left cheek that looked almost like an 'X', or maybe a cross. It was when he raised his head to look at Denzel that the boy jumped back and nearly hit his head on the low ceiling, scrabbling to put distance between him and the one identified as Zack.

The man's eyes were glowing softly in the dim light; a blue so rich it was nearly violet.

"Don't," he whispered, collapsing near Cloud. "Don't be afraid. Please." And the last word was said with such desperation that Denzel hesitantly scooted closer and offered Zack the water bottle.

"Cloud drank a little," he squeaked out, watching as the older man put his fingers to the pulse in Cloud's neck.

Zack nodded and took a careful sip that he rinsed around his mouth before swallowing. "What's your name, kid?" Some of the rusty tone was gone when he spoke again, "And is there anyone nearby to help you with us?" He had another sip and tried to prop Cloud up but just didn't have the strength.

So Denzel helped while he told Zack, "My sister, Marlene, was going for help if I wasn't back in five minutes. That was nearly a half-hour ago, so the Calvary should be arriving soon. And my name is Denzel, but most just say Denz."

It was with a deep, shuddering breath that Zack buried his face in Cloud's shoulder and said quietly, "You know what we are. I'm praying none of that help is in the form of ShinRa infantry."

"There... isn't a ShinRa militia anymore, Zack," Denzel told him. "Midgar's infrastructure imploded two years ago, taking most of the power company's council with it. President ShinRa was one of the first declared dead. One of the Heads that escaped, Reeve Tuesti, took what remained and created the World Regenesis Organization. Through the WRO, he shut down the reactors and had the city of Edge build near the ruins."

As he was speaking, Denzel watched Zack's face closely. Yes, he did know what both men were. **SOLDIER** s, the elite force of ShinRa. The entire division had disappeared just before the explosions, leading many to believe ShinRa had executed them after the fiasco of General Sephiroth going insane and carving up a few scientists - Hojo and Hollander in particular, though to his credit he had sliced and diced any he came across during his rampage. Two 1st Class **SOLDIER** s had somehow stopped him after Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley were killed trying to do so, but Denzel only knew their last names; Fair and Strife.

Fair was supposedly tall with black hair and Strife average height and blonde...

Could these two possibly...?

Suddenly there was the sound of a voice, and a bright light pierced the darkness. "Thank the Goddess," Zack muttered softly, and Denzel realized he hadn't taken his hand away from the pulse in Cloud's neck. "He's fading fast despite everything I did to keep him alive."

Denzel grabbed Zack's hand even as Cid Highwind, the pilot from Rocket Town that often spent time at the school talking to the students about aviation, stuck his head into the small opening. His eyes went wide at the sight of Zack sitting there with Denzel, Cloud all but in their laps. The unlit cigarette in his mouth dropped to the floor in shock.

"Zack! Strife! Where in tarnation have you two fuck-ups been?!"

"Cid, Cloud isn't in good shape," Denzel started, only to be interrupted by Zack.

"Got any materia on you? I think there's something crawling up behind us," Zack said urgently, gesturing to the hole. "I managed to blast the wall yesterday by cobbling together anything with an electrical charge and hitting it with my sword. Nearly took me apart, but the opening was wide enough we could get through. It was the toughest climb of my life, and Cloud... well, he's in such bad shape it was all he could do to make it to the top, even with me pushing."

Equipping two different orbs, Cid hit first Cloud, then Zack with shimmering green light. Then he aimed his spotlight at the hole, revealing a green snout and glinting teeth. "Duck!" he shouted, unleashing a _Bolt_ from the second orb. Instead of trying to hit the creature, he aimed for just above it, striking the top of the opening. When all the dust settled, it was once more sealed shut. "That should hold the little fucker for a while," Cid said in satisfaction as he hit the two **SOLDIER** s with _Cure_ again. "I'll pull, you push, okay, Denz? Leave the penlight for Zack."

"Zack is going to be right behind you," he dryly informed Cid. "Mind hitting me with that _Cure_ again?"

Again green light shimmered, and Denzel was caught in it slightly. Never having experienced materia in any form, it was quite an eye opener for the ten year old boy. All of a sudden the little stings from the scratches on his hands and knees faded, and the nagging itch of gritty eyes stopped. Wonder filled him and he sat there with his eyes comically wide and his mouth gaping open.

Cid looked up to tell Denzel to help them dig out the opening a bit more, caught sight of his expression and grinned, "Feels fucking good, doesn't it? Now get your ass in gear and start shoveling!"

It was when Denzel uncovered a small human skull that finally did his stomach in. All the tension, stress and fear piled with the tiny remains had his face going an alarming shade of green. Pitching to the side, he vomited almost violently. As he shivered and moaned piteously, comforting arms encircled him and rocked gently. "It's okay, Denz. Just relax. That sick feeling will pass, I promise." The water bottle was offered. "Rinse your mouth out, okay?"

As he did as ordered, Denzel found himself sizing up the **SOLDIER**. What little he could remember of them was enough to give him the heebie-jeebies, but Zack seemed so different from what he expected. Despite the glowing eyes, he obviously cared for his companion, Cloud, and he hadn't hesitated to help Denzel get over his sickness. How much of the stories were truth and how much made up by ShinRa?

Denzel knew the only way to be sure was to get to know Zack and Cloud.

And to do that, they needed to get out of there. So taking a deep breath, Denzel started pulling debris out of the way again. In a couple of minutes the air was filled with dust and grit, but the opening was large enough to get the prone figure of Cloud through. Zack didn't have the strength to assist, but he was still trying.

Denzel put a hand on his arm, "Zack, you can't help. Just work to move yourself along, okay?"

The **SOLDIER** shuddered and his head dropped to his chest. "It's just so hard. We've been trapped down there for at least two years, to go by what you said earlier. Drugged and stuffed away because ShinRa thought we would all go crazy like Sephiroth. Six of us to begin with - and Cloud and I are the only ones left. The others gave up and just faded away, even Kunsel. Goddess, I miss him."

It had taken Denzel at least twenty minutes to work his way back to the blasted out wall, and it was nearly twice that long to get back. When he finally saw the faint daylight shining into the cleft, he seriously thought he was going to cry. Then arms were reaching in to help, and Cid and Denzel were relieved of their burden and were free to help the faltering Zack crawl into the sunlight he hadn't seen in years.


	4. Chapter 4: The Patient, Part 2

**A/N:** Still working to recreated everything after the computer crash. It's frustrating trying to remember everything, and no matter how hard I've tried, it's still very different from the original. Ah, well...

 **Chapter Summary:** Even as Zack Fair is finally able to see the light of day, the unexpected happens when Aerith Gainsborough tackles him. Reeve pulls Denzel aside to get the full story as the doctor brought along with them starts to treat the **SOLDIER** s. But questions abound, making them wonder if the aid is too little, too late. Because the youngest man has mentally retreated to escape the reality of his situation, and the doctor isn't certain he can be brought back...

 **The Patient, Part 2**

By Ivy Elise Tanté

As soon as Denzel Lockhart reached the column there was a scream, and a brief flash of pink as someone tackled the black-haired **SOLDIER** to the ground. Denzel jumped back, barely avoiding being dragged down along with the man. It took a moment for his pounding heart to realize it was his mother's best friend doing the tackling and screaming.

"ZACK!" Aerith Gainsborough cried out as she buried her face in the side of his neck. "Oh, oh, Zack!" She kept patting his hair, his face, his shoulders like she just couldn't believe he was actually there in her arms.

Zack was trying as best he could to hold her but just didn't have the strength. "Aerith," he gasped out, voice raspy again. "What are you doing here?" The exhaustion was finally getting the better of him; Denzel could see his glowing violet-blue eyes were starting to get glassy and the hand he raised to her face was shaking badly. He might be **SOLDIER** , but he was reaching the limits of his endurance.

Everyone was exchanging bewildered glances, although Cid Highwind was the one to voice his confusion out loud with an incredulous, "What the fuck?" He then hurriedly ducked the Gibbs-slap aimed at the back of his head from Denzel's adoptive mother, Tifa Lockhart. Backing off, he yanked out a cigarette from his pack and lit it while hiding partially behind Barret Wallace. He knew better than to curse around her kids but often forgot when excited.

"Aerith, either start healing him or get out of the way so we can treat him. He's going into shock."

The voice had Denzel looking up in surprise. He had only met Reeve Tuesti -the director of the WRO- a few times, so to see him here was a surprise. Reeve was crouched over the prone figure of Cloud, along with a woman in a white lab coat that Denzel didn't recognize.

She was injecting something into Cloud's arm, hands steady even as her expression showed relief. "I know it looks bad, Reeve, but he's actually in a lot better shape than he appears to be. Between the water Denzel gave him, those _Cures_ Cid cast and the supplements I've injected, his system is stabilizing rapidly. There _is_ something to be said about the physical constitution of those of **SOLDIER**."

Motioning Denzel over, Reeve handed him a bottle of cold water and asked, "Will you tell me what happened? I was in the bar when Marlene came running in, gasping out that you were going after two voices in the ruins." He chuckled softly, "You would have thought a bomb exploded in there with the way she tossed that out."

Marlene Lockhart was his sister, also adopted by Tifa. "I... ah, actually asked her to get Aerith..." Denzel started.

Reeve smiled, "She was also at the bar. Your mother was understandably upset, as apparently you and your sister aren't supposed to be anywhere near this place." There was a twinkle in the dark eyes of the director.

Denzel winced. "Oh, man. I'm in for it, ain't I?"

"Aren't I," Reeve corrected automatically. "Although I will say, without hesitation, that Tifa ain't happy with you right now." Laughing together softly had Denzel relaxing somewhat. "Yes, that's better. Here," and he handed the child a lifesaver. "You were looking a little green when you came out."

He took the candy gratefully, clumsily unwrapping it and popping the treat into his mouth. "It was because of the... skulls." Denzel rubbed at his belly in memory. "Little kid skulls. I... my stomach..."

Giving an understanding nod, Reeve patted his shoulder reassuringly. "That is no reason to be ashamed, Denzel, not after what you did. Will you go through it now?"

So Denzel sat there in the ruins of Midgar, shaded by Reeve's shadow, and told him everything that happened. As Denzel started from the very beginning of the hide-and-seek, the story took a while to relate. Denzel had just repeated Zack's last statement when Tifa approached.

Still sipping water, he was afraid to look up at his mother right then when she told Reeve, "I've asked the med-techs to take Cloud and Zack to the bar. And before you start arguing," she added when Reeve straightened up, looking a bit angry, "they don't need any reminder of ShinRa right now, and the infirmary in the WRO Headquarters would be viewed as yet another prison to them. Zack needs to be with Aerith more than anything -apparently they were all but engaged when he vanished- and Cloud... needs a lot of care that a hospital can't provide."

Brows furrowed, Reeve asked, "Do you know Cloud Strife?"

Brushing wind-blown hair out of her eyes, Tifa admitted, "No. And I don't know Zack, either. Aerith mentioned his name from time to time, but she never told me he was one of the **SOLDIER** s that disappeared. I just thought he was an infantryman who went missing after Midgar collapsed."

"They will need medications, nurses..." Reeve began, but Tifa cut him short.

"You know, firsthand, just what Aerith is capable of handling, so don't try and pull that on me, Reeve Tuesti. ShinRa failed them, as it failed so many others. And you, no matter what you do now, were part of ShinRa."

The shaft hit home, hard. Reeve paled and took a step back. "Why take aim at me?"

"What assurances do I have here, Reeve? If I let you take them, what are the odds they will make a full recovery? Or will they disappear again, once more drugged and stuffed out of sight because of what happened to Sephiroth? That _is_ why they were confined there in the beginning. Then they were totally forgotten when the city exploded - because no one even knew they were still alive! Just two out of the six survived! Zack said that one by one they gave up; just laid down and died because they lost hope. When Cloud started showing those signs, Zack nearly killed himself trying to find a way out because he knew he would go stark-raving mad in there if Cloud died as well. Totally alone in the darkness, Reeve. How long would _you_ survive under those conditions?"

Denzel had his chin tucked close to his chest. He wasn't afraid of being grounded anymore for disobeying Tifa. He was scared something was going to happen to the **SOLDIER** s. Hadn't they been through enough already? Since he had helped Cid carry them out of the wreckage, he knew the men were little more than skin and bones. Would they even be able to recover after being cut off from all contact for two years?

Something inside him rebelled, causing him to look up at the two arguing adults and beg quietly, "Please."

Reeve turned to him instantly, kneeling and putting his hands on Denzel's shoulders. The dark brown eyes searched the child's carefully before he asked, "What is it, Denzel?"

Reaching out to clutch the sleeves of his overcoat, Denzel blurted out in a desperate tone, "Please help them. Being **SOLDIER** doesn't make them monsters. Zack was so kind to me when I was sick, and Cloud kept crying until I helped Zack up, too. Please? I'll help them!" Getting into the spirit, he released Reeve and raced to Tifa. "I will! I can clean up after them, take them trays, talk to them!"

Tifa touched his cheek softly, a gentle smile on her face. "Yes, I know you will. And to be truthful, I will need both you and Marlene to help me with them. This is going to be very hard for me to manage, even with Aerith's assistance."

"I can help her, too! I know how to deliver the flower boxes now."

Reeve had little choice but to cave under the onslaught. "Very well. I'll leave them in your care under one condition." He smiled grimly when Tifa gave him a hard look. "Dr. Rayleigh is one of the only remaining expert we have on **SOLDIER**. She needs to be allowed to examine them on a daily basis for now. Let her come to Seventh Heaven and check on them, Tifa. You and Aerith can be present for the visits so you'll know she isn't doing them any harm."

But Tifa didn't relent. "I'll talk to Aerith about it, Reeve, but I'm not making any promises right now." Taking Denzel's hand, she turned and nearly walked right into the doctor in question.

Dr. Rayleigh pushed her glasses back up her nose and said quietly, "I agree with you completely, Ms. Lockhart." She could see the storm clouds gathering in Reeve's eyes and gave a grim smile. "The trauma of both the incarceration as well as the automatic guilt by association will be difficult to overcome. Deep inside each of us lay fears and doubts that are never seen." She placed a hand on Reeve's shoulder as she warned, "Sephiroth's insanity is haunting both of them, especially since the other four **SOLDIER** s..." She stopped herself suddenly and smiled at Denzel. "Why don't you go keep them company? It might keep Cid from cursing so much if you're there."

Denzel grunted in disbelief, but he raced off anyway.

Tifa gave the doctor a hard look. "What didn't you want him to hear?"

Taking a deep breath, Rayleigh closed her eyes and all but whispered, "Zack confessed that they also went insane. But unlike Sephiroth, they turned the violence on themselves, not on the people around them."

There was a long moment of silence. Reeve finally spoke, his voice filled with horror. "They killed themselves. They committed suicide."

"Essentially, yes. I feel a big part of that decision was their situation. Alone in the dark, supplies dwindling, little to no chance of escape, even less hope of help arriving..." Her voice trailed off as she pushed her glasses up enough to rub at her eyes. "I was the surgeon on Zack's implantation. I remember talking to him before the procedure, and he was such a happy-go-lucky character. It's frightening that I couldn't see _any_ of that in him today. None at all. And Cloud... he's closed up, walled himself off from everything so he doesn't have to feel. I really don't know if there's any way to reach him now. The damage may be too great."

Tifa swallowed hard as she felt tears prick her eyes. "So even with everything Zack did, it might still be too late."

"Possibly. That's why I think your decision to take them to Seventh Heaven is the right one for them. They need sunshine and freedom now more than anything. Along with regular meals, mild exercise and plenty of fluids, of course. And I really do believe the children will make the biggest difference. Young voices, laughter and silly games. Spats and pranks and giggles. It will prove to them there is still hope in this world." Rayleigh turned to look at Reeve, eyebrows raised as she waited for his answer.

He thought about the situation for some time before nodding. "All right. But." And here he gave the two women a hard look, "If Cloud regresses further... If you can see there is no hope for him..."

And Rayleigh told him coldly, "I'm not drugging him and shoving him away like ShinRa did, Reeve. If there's no other choice, I'll ease him out as gently as possible." The bleak look on her face was heartbreaking. "And I'm praying to any God willing to listen not to force me to make that decision."

Knowing there was nothing else to say at that moment, Tifa turned and walked back to where Barret and Cid were assisting the two men into the back of his delivery truck. Denzel and Marlene were already in the cab of the truck, bouncing up and down in their impatience.

"They in bad shape, baby girl," Barret muttered to Tifa as he closed the tailgate. "Starved, bruised all to hell and back." He glanced down at his gunarm and grimaced. "Won't be able to help much with one hand, Teef. They is gonna take a lot of caring and you ain't but one person."

Unable to help herself, she leaned into the solid strength of the man she had always considered her surrogate father and let the tears come. For just a minute or two she gave herself the luxury of crying. Then she wiped at her eyes and straightened, her expression one of resolve. "I may only be one person, Barret, but I'm not alone. Aerith and the kids will help, and so will you." She smiled at his mulish look. "Don't give me that look, Barret Wallace. You'll help." And she poked his side with a finger.

As his heart was far larger than he was, Barret knew he was stuck with it. "When I can, Teef," he agreed grudgingly. He glanced at the men in the back before he said softly, "I don't like it. I don't know them, and they be **SOLDIER** s. Strong, baby girl. They is strong and fast and I don't wanna leave you alone with no strangers."

"Aerith had known Zack for years, and she's even met Cloud a few times," Tifa informed him.

"But she don't know him now anymore than I do. Things like this change people, sometimes for the worse. I don't like it," Barret insisted.

With a sigh, Tifa touched his face and said gently, "They deserve a chance, don't they?" And she could see that she had him there since he turned away without saying anything more.

Cid poked his head around the side of the truck then and snapped, "Time to go, kiddies. They need rest and they ain't gonna get it here."

"You knew them before, didn't you?" Tifa asked him.

Cid gave a shrug and chewed on his unlit cigarette. "Yeah. Gave them both rides on the Highwind when they was on assignment. Zack is just plain nuts, always so chipper I wanted to toss him over the railing a few times. Cloud's the quiet one - was like pulling eyeteeth to get him to talk. But you know what?" Cid yanked out his lighter and toyed with it before lighting his smoke. "Cloud always brought some kind of treat for Godo Kisaragi's daughter whenever they had to go to Wutai, and he would watch out for her like some kind of older brother. You could tell Yuffie got on Zack's nerves, but he never said a mean word to her and didn't report it when she'd steal materia."

Why the information depressed her even more, Tifa couldn't say.

"But I didn't know about him and Aerith, which seems kinda funny to me now. Why didn't she ever say anything?" Shrugging again, he dropped the subject. "Now get in the back so we can take them home," Cid snapped as he headed for the driver's side of the truck.

Tifa nodded and accepted Barret's help to climb into the back. Inside, she saw that Aerith had Zack's head in her lap, and there was something so sad and poignant about the way he was curled into an almost fetal position as she gently stoked his wildly spiked black hair. Cloud was tucked in the corner, laying on his back. When Tifa scooted over to him, he turned his head and looked at her with the most incredible eyes she had ever beheld. They were tropical ocean blue, the color so intense it didn't need the mako in his system to make them glow.

When he saw she was staring at him, those eyes drifted close and he turned his face away. And something about his retreat made Tifa's heart ache even more. Hesitantly, she gently tugged and pulled at him until he gave in and let her rest his head on her lap as well. When the truck finally started it's slow journey back to Edge, Tifa ran her fingers through his pale blonde hair to soothe him.

Both he and Zack were asleep long before the truck left the ruins of Midgar.


	5. Chapter 5: The Patient, Part 3

**A/N:** Still working, still recreating, still plotting mayhem. Not even computer crashes can stop the madness. Bwahahahaha!

 **Chapter Summary:** It seems as though Cloud is slipping through their grasp, even as Zack continues to improve. But Cloud will not longer respond to the man that risked his life to free them from ShinRa's imprisonment. Their only hope now is Tifa, and the fact that she alone can get any kind of response from Cloud. But Zack begins to put everything together, and finds there may be hope for his recovery after all...

 **The Patient, Part 3**

By Ivy Elise Tanté

"He's doing it again," Marlene Lockhart warned her adoptive mother, Tifa Lockhart. She had come down the stairs from the living quarters, her little face grim, lips pressed together with worry.

Taking the time to glance over at her newest -and mostly unexpected- employee, Tifa told Marlene quietly, "You keep an eye on Zack, and call Aerith if anything seems off, okay? I'll be back in a little while."

Marlene nodded, stationing herself at the end of the bar to better keep the head of spiky black hair in sight.

It was a relief to know that she could reply on her family to help take care of the two **SOLDIER** s basically dropped into her lap nearly a week ago. Drying her hands on a dishtowel, she quickly headed up the steps and into the small room that Barret Wallace -whom she considered her surrogate father- used when he was in town. Now it held two sets of bunk beds for her impromptu guests.

And one of them, Cloud Strife, was sitting in a chair facing the corner. The despair that filled her at the sight of his slumped shoulders and empty eyes caused such pain it made her throat close up.

They were losing him. Tifa could literally _feel_ Cloud slipping through her fingers as though he were a handful of sand.

She knelt beside him, one hand on his shoulder, the other on his thigh. Keeping her voice as calm and gentle as possible, she said his name quietly, "Cloud."

The vacant stare didn't sharpen, though he did turn his head slightly towards her. That was her only encouragement; for some reason Cloud would only respond to her touch, her words. Not even Zack Fair could get a reaction from him anymore.

A peek at the breakfast tray sitting on the small table beside him showed it to be untouched. "Not hungry this morning?" she questioned. The slight shake of his head barely stirred the blonde spikes of his hair.

Tifa made herself look at him closely. The food and supplements had filled out his face just a bit so he didn't look quite so gaunt. The improved nutrition had also given his skin and eyes better color, and his hair was beginning to take on a silky sheen. It was the blankness of his gaze that was the most wrenching - there was no expression at all in that tropic ocean blue.

Cloud was so far away from them, and nothing they were doing seemed to reach him.

The sudden hopelessness swamped her, causing her to lean against his arm as tears began to track down her face. "Cloud," she whispered brokenly. Somehow it no longer mattered that he had been a complete stranger when her adopted son, Denzel, had helped to pull him from the ruins of Midgar. Tifa longed to bring him back from wherever he had chosen to hide to escape the horrible imprisonment inflicted upon him and Zack by ShinRa.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Tifa struggled to pull herself together. But before she could say anything it opened slowly. A head wreathed in haphazard black spikes just as unruly as Cloud's poked into the room. Violet-blue eyes glimmering faintly in the dim light mirrored her concern as Zack slipped inside.

"Hey Tifa, Cloud," he greeted with his usual charming smile.

There was no movement or response from his fellow **SOLDIER** , and tears pricked the mako-stained eyes. Zack took a deep breath and told Tifa, "Denzel is back from the deliveries for Aerith." He sank onto the bottom bunk nearest Cloud and sighed. "I waited too long," he muttered, clearly blaming himself for his friend's condition.

"You did what you could, Zack," Tifa told him gently, reaching out a hand and laying it on his wrist.

He had to turn his face away so she couldn't see the tears. "Still not enough," he insisted, voice raspy with emotion.

And Tifa made herself study him as well. Zack no longer looked wasted, and was beginning to exhibit that exuberant nature Aerith loved so much. But he was still experiencing tremors and sudden splitting headaches without warning. They were the side effects, Dr. Rayleigh had informed them, of the extreme measures Zack had taken to blast out the wall where they were confined.

Rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb, Tifa said, "Aerith suggested that taking him out to the garden and letting him get some sun might help, but I don't really want him out there alone right now. Do you feel up to working the tables a little while longer?"

She had to smile at the thought. Her clientele used to be mostly male until Zack started waiting on tables out of sheer boredom and an innate need to be around people. Now his handsome face and affable charm had the women coming to the bar in droves. None were put off by the slightly-glowing eyes, which did much for his attitude and self-esteem.

And all the attention given to him by Aerith didn't hurt one bit, either.

"Sure," he answered, then grinned. "Several med students were wandering in when I came up here. Guess it's time to turn on the old charm and see what kind of drinks and appetizers I can convince them to try." The smile faded completely when he turned back to Cloud. "I'll be back up to chat a little later, okay? Try to stay out of trouble until then." He ran a hand through the disorderly blonde spikes, then impulsively leaned in close enough to rest his forehead against Cloud's temple. "Come back to us, Cloud. You've wandered long enough."

It was all Tifa could do not to start bawling right there. Somehow she managed to hold it down until Zack left the room, shutting the door silently behind him. Scooting closer, Tifa encircled Cloud's broad shoulders with her arms, laid her head against his neck and just let the tears come.

Imagine her surprise when Cloud raised one hand and touched her hair. Startled, she pulled back to look at him with wide eyes but his face was still expressionless. But he had responded to her again!

For the first time in a week she felt hope. Standing up, she gently tugged at his arm until he finally gave in and grudgingly rose from his chair. Denzel was the one that had figured out if you kept nudging at him Cloud would eventually do what you wanted him to, be it moving or whatever. You just had to be pretty determined about it.

With a smile lighting up her face, she rummaged through the nightstand beside his bed until she found a comb to run through his blonde hair. It did nothing to tame the spikes, of course, but it didn't look so matted anymore.

Taking his hand, she insistently pulled him from the room and down the stairs, turning into her office located above the bar's kitchen. Cloud flinched at the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, so Tifa grabbed a pair of sunglasses and maneuvered them onto his face to protect his eyes. Then she opened the door to the terrace and guided him through.

And for the first time since his rescue he actually made a sound. It was part sigh, part sob at the sight of the garden Aerith had planned out and planted for Tifa years ago.

Grass as green as emeralds covered the space, and the potted shrubs and trees swayed in the faint breeze, fanning their soft fragrance through the air. Flowers in a wild riot of colors bloomed everywhere, and the side wall was almost completely obscured by trailing grape vines heavy with ripening bunches of green and red grapes. There was a four-foot tall wrought iron railing around the three open sides of the terrace, but little of it could be seen under the mass of honeysuckle weaving through the pickets. The laced-together branches of Japanese maple and Crepe Myrtle cast dappled shade over the ground, making the benches Cid had given her look cool and inviting where they were tucked in a corner.

Tifa led Cloud to one of those benches and encouraged him to sit down. And he was looking around him in wonder - the first real expression she had ever seen on his face. The too-blue eyes were opened wide, his lips slightly parted as he continued to examine these new surroundings. He was so beautiful, sitting there with sunlight speckled across his pale skin and his blonde hair gleaming.

The impulse to touch him was too great, so Tifa laid her hand on his cheek. The contact made him turn to her. There still wasn't a lot of comprehension in his gaze, but they weren't completely empty anymore. Acting on impulse, Tifa shifted off the bench and pulled him down onto the grass with her. Her gentle nudging and tugging resulted in Cloud lying on his back with Tifa's head nestled on his shoulder, her hand resting on his chest.

The soft whoosh of traffic, the gentle swish of leaves and the warmth of the mid-day sun soon lulled him to sleep. And Tifa could hardly contain her joy, because it was the first time he had done so without the need for a tranquilizer to quiet the nightmares...

-‚¬ƒ-

When Aerith entered the bar, she immediately stopped just inside, giving her eyes time to adjust to the dimmer lighting. The place was a bit more crowded than was usual in the middle of a work day, and the corners of her mouth quirked up as she saw Zack effortlessly charming an entire table of what looked like med students on break. _Female_ med students, she mentally elaborated as her smile broadened, since all of them were in scrubs of various colors.

Chuckling to herself, she headed for the bar. Marlene was perched on a stool towards the end, craning her neck to keep an eye on the **SOLDIER**. "Don't worry," Aerith told the young girl. "I'm here, and I'll keep him in line. Where is Tifa?"

Marlene hunched her shoulders and said, "Cloud was sitting in a chair facing the corner again. I think she wanted to take him out to the garden like you suggested, so Zack's working a bit longer than we planned since it's so busy."

"And he's one of the reasons you're hosting so many," Aerith pointed out.

"The ladies sure do love him," Marlene muttered under her breath.

Aerith couldn't stop the laugh from escaping, "You do, too, squirt. Now quit being jealous and find me an apron. If I'm working the floor he'll behave himself." She was joking, of course. It was evident even to someone as young as Marlene that Zack was so hopelessly head over heels in love with Aerith that he wasn't about to do anything stupid - or at least in regards to other females. Otherwise, Zack could be incredibly silly on occasion.

But Marlene frowned at her in concern. "But you've worked all day at the Flower Shop. You need to take a break, not work tables."

Aerith put her hands on her hips and asked sternly, "Who is the adult here, kid?"

Eyes narrowed, Marlene gave a soft whistle. It only took a moment for Zack to wind his way through the bar to her side. "Hello, ladies. You called?" he asked the little girl, balancing his tray with ease as he handed the bartender his order book. Then he leaned forward with a smile to collect his kiss from Aerith. "I've missed you, my sweet. You're looking especially lovely today."

Rolling her eyes, Aerith informed him, "You're really good at putting on the charm, aren't you?"

And he just grinned, violet-blue eyes twinkling with mischief. But there was something in the back of his eyes, a darkness that dimmed the brilliance, and it had Aerith jerking in surprise.

Whatever showed on her face had Marlene taking the tray away from Zack. He looked at her in confusion, his brows furrowed, a question on his lips even as she told him, "I think you've worked long enough for today. And if you try to argue with me, I'll just sic Rayleigh on you."

Zack straightened up and accused, "Bully."

"Yep. Aerith, get him out of here." And the little girl aimed a finger at her before she could protest. "And don't give me any lip, flower girl. I might be young, but I'm fierce."

Before Aerith could make a huffy comment, Zack laughed and snatched her up, slinging her over his shoulder and heading for the door. "You heard the boss lady, darling," he said as he ignored her attempts to free herself. Though if truth be told, she wasn't really trying all that hard.

And she couldn't help but notice some of the sour looks aimed her way by the female clientele.

Proving he was a gentleman, he carefully put her back on her feet once they were outside. The merriment faded from his face the instant she was free, and he kind of folded onto the little landing just outside the door. Shocked by the tears glimmering in his glowing eyes, Aerith wrapped her arms around his neck and begged, "Please tell me what's wrong, Zack!"

In a broken voice he muttered, "We're losing him, Aerith. He won't speak, will barely eat. His eyes stare at nothing. He never really talked all that much, but his eyes always said what he was thinking. We used to have whole conversations without a word being spoken. He'd rub the back on his neck if he got embarrassed or confused, and had this habit of shuffling his feet if he was nervous. It was his body that conveyed what he felt. Now there's nothing, nothing at all. I waited too long!" The last comment came out as a wail.

Gently, Aerith urged him back onto his feet. "Come with me now, Zack."

Passively he allowed her to lead him to her flower shop. But instead of going inside, she took his hand and pulled him up the stairs to her own garden terrace. Seating him on a bench, she knelt in front of him and took his face in her hands. "Listen to me, Zack Fair," she said as she wiped his tears away. "I'm still trying to heal all the damage you did to your system when you blasted that wall. You have done everything possible to save Cloud and yourself. Now it's up to Cloud to decide what path to take. If he chooses to fade like the other **SOLDIER** s, it is through no fault of yours. If he chooses to live, to come back to the world with all its pain and pleasure, then he will need you to help him through. Can you be strong enough to let him decide?"

Nudging her hands away, he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. "Will you tell me the truth, then? Will you tell me what you sense, feel when you work to heal him?" He nodded, more to himself than to her, when tears gathered in her eyes. "I thought so. You know how far he's descended. He won't respond to me anymore. He's gone so deep inside himself that nothing else really exists, does it?"

Aerith sat back on her heels and regarded him thoughtfully. "Though you are mostly right, I'm still getting glimmers of his personality, like little bursts of light in the darkness. It _is_ possible to reach him, but I don't know if we're the ones that can bring him back. Dr. Rayleigh has suggested some professionals; maybe their expertise can break through."

Brows furrowed, Zack tilted his head to look at her in confusion - just like a small puppy would do if scolded. The reaction so tickled her that she laughed, gathered his hands in hers, and pressed her lips to his knuckles. "Oh, you charmer. You really know how to break down a woman's defenses, don't you?"

She wasn't prepared when he raised their joined hands and touched her cheek. "There have been no others since I met you, Aerith. When I opened my eyes after that tumble through the roof of the church and beheld my angel, no one else has ever appealed. And when I struggled in the darkness, tried and failed time and again to save my friends from madness, the thoughts of you were what kept me going. Just believing that I could see your smile again gave me the strength to carry on. Even when Cloud started to show the same signs as the others the despair didn't overwhelm me right away, because I still had the memories of you."

Aerith found herself clinging to Zack, arms wrapped tightly around him, face buried in his shoulder. "Oh, oh Zack!" she whispered, turning her head to press a kiss against his neck. When she felt him gently pushing her back, Aerith let him go to give him a puzzled look. "What is it?"

She could see he was trying to put something together in his head. The question he asked seemed to come out of the blue, but she could tell there was a reason he inquired. "You met Tifa before we started seeing each other, right?"

Wondering how that applied to this situation, she nonetheless nodded, "Oh yes. I've known Tifa nearly ten years."

Zack tapped his lip with one finger and asked, "I met her as well, didn't I? I distinctly remember her face. Even after everything that happened, she's not someone easy to forget."

"It was the parade your division participated in, not all that long before Sephiroth went insane. You were on the float in uniform with that half-helmet thingy," Aerith confirmed. "I didn't dare try to talk to you since Sephiroth was standing at the head of it."

The way he suddenly snapped his fingers had her jumping slightly. "That's IT!" he said excitedly. "I kept trying to place where I had seen her before but couldn't." Smiling with just a hint of his usual exuberance, he tapped her nose and reminded, "Cloud was also on the float with me. I pointed you out to him, and I remember him asking who was the woman beside you. You had described her well enough that I knew she was your friend Tifa."

And she said slowly, "And this is relevant because...?"

Lowering himself to sit beside her on the grass, he continued, "Because he bugged me about her at every opportunity for weeks, Aerith. I fixated on you to survive everything ShinRa did to us after Sephiroth went nuts." Grasping her arms firmly, he told her, "And now Cloud will only respond to Tifa. Can't you see? I think he latched onto Tifa just like I did to you - an ideal to hold onto in the darkness. If he did that, if he relied on her memory during those two years, then if anyone has a chance of pulling him out, it would be her." Hope was suddenly shining in his eyes again as he said, "She is his light. Just before he stopped talking altogether, he kept saying he wished he could see his light just one more time, that he could speak to her now, that he wasn't afraid to met her anymore."

His excitement was spreading through Aerith like morning sunlight chasing away the night. "He can be saved, Zack! He can be saved because he loves Tifa!"


	6. Chapter 6: The Patient, Part 4

**A/N:** This is the final installment of this particular meeting. I've decided not to go through all of Cloud's recovery, as that would make this a full-fledged story instead of a nice little mini-series. I hope that isn't a disappointment, but I really want to start the next episode…

 **Chapter Summary:** Fearing for the sanity of the man he helped rescue, Denzel and Marlene decide to gang together in an attempt to reach the withdrawn Cloud Strife before it's too late. Knowing nothing of Zack and Aerith's revelation, one can only imagine their surprise when they sneak out to the terrace garden and find…

 **The Patient, Part 4**

By Ivy Elise Tanté

Drying his hands after cleaning yet another table, Denzel Lockhart restlessly walked into the downstairs kitchen of his mother's bar, Seventh Heaven. Giving only a grunt of greeting to his adopted sister, Marlene Lockhart, he pulled out a chair at the table where she was peeling potatoes. No sooner had he sat down than he was up again, pacing back and forth over the gleaming tiles until Marlene pointed her paring knife at him and snapped, "Sit! I'm not mopping that floor again because you've scuffed it up!"

Very grudgingly he did as she ordered.

"I don't know what your problem is today, but that dishwasher needs emptying and the trash can is full enough to go out," she continued, peels flying as her nimble hands gave the potato in her grasp in one quick twirl, then tossed it into the huge bowl of water at her side and reached for another.

Grateful for something to do, Denzel leaped up and opened the door of the dishwasher, then waved his hand in front of his face when the steam boiling out nearly fogged up his eyeballs. The plates and utensils were too hot to handle right then, so he changed out the trash can liner and sprinted outside to toss the bag into the dumpster behind the bar.

When he came back inside, Marlene gave him a sympathetic look and said quietly, "I sent Aerith and Zack off earlier. He looked so…" Rubbing the side of her nose, she stopped to consider her words before continuing, "…so lost. He wasn't just sad, Denz. He looked beat up."

Collecting plates from the lower rack of the machine, Denzel gave another grunt before admitting, "He's worried about Cloud. I am, too." Shoving his armful onto the plate rack near the door, he turned and asked in a breathless rush, "Is he going to die like the others, Marlene?"

Marlene thought about it as she set down her latest and only half-peeled vegetable victim. She knew what he was thinking about - the fact that the other four **SOLDIER** s had ended up killing themselves when their minds snapped. The adults thought they were too young to know what really happened down there in the dark prison where ShinRa had stuck them. But with both children so determined to save Zack Fair and Cloud Strife, their mother Tifa Lockhart and her friend Aerith Gainsborough had eventually give in.

Both were terrified for Cloud's well-being since being told. And although it was nice to know what they were facing, there was a part of Marlene that wished she'd remained ignorant. Having lived in an orphanage, she and Denzel knew what it was like to feel hopelessness and despair.

Finished with the unloading, he commenced reloading the poor over-worked machine. Utensils rattled as he divided the different types into the correct baskets. "Come on, Mar. Tell me what you're thinking, cause I'm scared. All he does is sit in a corner and stare." Spinning around, he argued passionately, "He was reacting and trying to talk when I found him! I _heard_ him say Zack's name!"

Pushing away from the table, Marlene got up and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't doubt you, Denz. But for some reason he's…" she had to pause to remember the word Dr. Rayleigh had used, "…retreated so far inside it's like he's not even here. I don't know why - he's in a safe place now." Releasing her brother, she started pacing as well, forgetting about the squeaky clean floor. "We give him plenty to eat, he's not in the dark anymore, we talk to him all the time. I just don't understand. Look at how much Zack has recovered!"

With a sigh Denzel sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. "But he has Aerith to help him. It's pretty gross, but he sure seems to like her kissing him all the time."

Indignantly, Marlene rapped out, "It's not gross! I think it's really sweet." She couldn't quite stop the giggle as she confessed, "And it really upsets the girls that come into the bar to see him."

Even Denzel -as clueless as all young boys tended to be about such matters- knew Zack loved Aerith. "He doesn't really see them. I mean, he knows they are there, but Aerith is the one that matters to him." Then he glanced up at the ceiling and asked, "Hey, where's mom? I haven't seen her since I came back from deliveries." Jumping back up, he started loading the washer again.

"Upstairs with Cloud. On the terrace, I think. Aerith's been trying to get her to take him out there, and when I told her Cloud was in the corner again…" Shaking her head, Marlene returned to the helpless tubers. Peeling another, she worried over something until she finally blurted out, "Have you noticed how mom's been acting lately?"

Blinking, Denzel looked up from where he was shoving plates in any which way he could and asked, "Huh? Mom? What are you talking about, sis?"

Chewing on her lower lip, Marlene tried to articulate what she didn't know how to say, "She's been acting weird since Zack and Cloud got here. Every time she looks at Cloud she gets all teary-eyed."

"She's worried about him, too," Denzel assured her, tongue sticking out one side of his mouth as he maneuvered another plate into a space that didn't seem big enough for a mouse, let alone a full sized diner plate.

Marlene couldn't help the grin from showing. No one, absolutely no one, could load a dishwasher quite like Denzel. "But she seems to like him so much, even if we don't know what's he's really like."

The comment caught him off guard. "You think she… likes him?" Denzel asked, wedging in a sauce dipper. "I mean, like Aerith likes Zack? In that mushy stuff kind of way?" he clarified as he adjusted and re-positioned two cups so he could slip a plastic lid between them.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she waved the paring knife and asked, "Would it bother you if she did?" Denzel wrinkled his nose, though whether it was at the question or the dishwasher she couldn't tell.

After looking over both racks carefully, he finally admitted he couldn't sandwich anything else in and closed the door after dropping in a cleaning tablet. "Only if she takes to kissing him all the time. What _is_ it with girls and kisses?"

As she wasn't too sure about that herself, Marlene didn't address the rhetorical question. "Should we check on them?"

A glance at the clock in the kitchen had him nodding. "Yeah, I think so. Ben and Tony are covering the bar, but Lydia sure is slow about orders." Denzel and Marlene exchanged a glance over the antics of the young waitress - the only time she seemed lively was when Zack worked the tables.

Both rinsed their hands and headed upstairs, carefully avoiding the creaky third step more out of habit than design. But the door to the office was closed and they stood before it, wondering if they should venture inside or not. It wasn't a forbidden area of their living space, but Tifa didn't encourage them to just wander in whenever they wanted to, either, because of the paperwork usually littering every available surface.

Marlene finally shrugged and twisted the knob open, saying as she did, "We might as well. It's nearly time for her to start preparing for dinner, anyway. I don't know what she's planning to serve, but I figured you can't go wrong with potatoes."

The door to the office may have been closed, but the one to the terrace stood wide open, letting in the soft breeze and the lingering odor of tart grapes mingled with the sweetness of honeysuckle. Tiptoeing over, the children peeked around the door frame. Marlene couldn't stop the abrupt squeak from escaping when she saw Tifa and Cloud.

They were laying on the grass under the shade of the trees. Tifa was on her side, curled up slightly, with her head resting on… Cloud's outstretched arm. He was behind her, body fitted snugly against the curve of hers, an arm around her waist and one leg thrown over hers. Both were sleeping peacefully in the mid-afternoon warmth, small dapples of sunlight filtering through the overhead branches to leave their skin spotted with softly glowing patches.

Marlene took Denzel's hand in hers and stood staring in wonder. Because… Cloud looked so relaxed.

He normally slept all tightly balled up, arms crossed protectively over his chest with his knees drawn up to further shield himself. Even in sleep, his jaw would be clenched and his shoulders tensed. The slightest noise or movement nearby would have him jolting awake violently - possibly in shock or fear or both. And still his eyes would be so empty, almost like his body was simply functioning out of habit.

But there was no tension in his frame now. He lay holding Tifa as though she were the most precious thing in existence, his forehead resting against the back of her head. And the hand curled around her waist was tucked slightly under the hem of her shirt, his fingers spread over the bare skin of her stomach.

Both children were far too young to understand the term intimacy. But they knew how comfortable it was to be held by someone who loved you without reserve, and both responded to what lay before them.

Moving without conscious thought, wanting only to be included in the warmth he sensed in the couple sleeping on the grass, Denzel made his way over as quietly as possible before tucking himself behind Cloud, back to back with the **SOLDIER**. There was a sweet smile on his face when he heard Marlene curl up in front of Tifa. Why this felt so right, the four of them all cuddled together, he couldn't say.

And he didn't care if it made sense or not. The smile remained as he drifted off to sleep with the soft breeze gently fluttering his hair and the sweet scent of honeysuckle surrounding him…

-‚¬ƒ-

The sensation was like finally coming to the surface of the water long after you've accepted you're going to drown. The rush was painful and frightening - Cloud didn't want to _feel_ anymore, longed for the black oblivion where all awareness was numbed and the world couldn't intrude. Reality was horror, filled with madness and despair.

But… the breeze over his skin was soft and fragrant, no longer reeking of enclosure and impending death. Even with his eyes closed he could tell there was light around him. The chill dampness was but an unpleasant memory under the warmth of the sun.

The change in environment was a shock his system could barely endure.

He needed to return to the darkness inside, needed to go so deep within himself that none could reach him, or hurt him, ever again. But try as he might, the light and soft air remained. Worn out from fighting against surfacing from the comforting blackness, his eyes drifted open.

The light was painfully bright to eyes no longer used to anything but the dark. Even in the shade the intensity had tears blurring his vision. The colors around him seemed garish, almost neon. And everything was moving, swaying in the breeze; nothing remained stationary. Suffering from sensory overload, he tried to curl into a ball to escape.

And the woman in his arms shifted slightly in her sleep at his movements.

Cloud's incredibly-blue eyes popped wide open in almost comical surprise. Rational thought being beyond him at the moment, there was no way to take in what he was seeing, experiencing. The fear had a soft cry slipping past his lips as his pulse thundered in his head, reverberating throughout his entire body.

But a gentle hand resting on his shoulder stopped the anxiety from becoming a full-blown panic attack. "It's okay, Cloud. You've just been asleep, that's all." The voice was young and childish, but strangely familiar and reassuring at the same time. Hadn't he heard it before?

Faint memories struggled to the surface. They came in a rush of fractured images: A boy, face pale and eyes wide with fear, still daring enough to pull him to safety. Thin arms encircling him as he was urged to drink, cool and clean water trickling past his lips to soothe his parched throat. Crying in fear for Zack, knowing he was still down in the darkness but helpless to do anything about it. Being moved past half-submerged rooms and dusty bones, through the darkness and into light and sound and voices he didn't know. Feeling the unaccustomed heat of the sun burning against his skin, that first horrifying sight of a white lab coat, the terror of needles pricking his skin.

And gentleness. Dark hair and wine red eyes. Soft touches so lovingly gentle, that soothing voice whispering so tenderly… and tears. A name floated in his mind, fluttered frantically for release. "Tifa…" it was little more than an exhaled breath.

"She's sleeping, too. She's tired from making sure you're taken care of, Cloud. See? You're holding her." Denzel leaned over the man and touched his mother's hair. "She's barely left your side during all this time."

Warmth seemed to seep into his bones, at last replacing the chill that had encased him for so long. His eyes began to drift closed again as her presence finally permeated his senses. "Light," he murmured.

Confused, Denzel didn't understand what the man was referring to. "Light? Is it too bright for you out here? There's a pair of sunglasses on the bench. I can put them on for you."

But Cloud was already sliding into sleep as the fear seemed to evaporate, leaving his body limp and relaxed…

-‚¬ƒ-

When Zack and Aerith returned to Seventh Heaven later that afternoon, they walked into bedlam. Ben and Tony had the bar going, smoothly and just as efficiently as ever, but Lydia seemed to be drifting back and forth with no discernible intentions. Although there weren't many people in the room, some of them looked a little angry at such apathetic service.

"Aerith," Zack said quietly as they lingered near the door, "will you call Janice and Yuffie and see if they will come help? I'm not sure what's going on, but Tifa obviously isn't here to keep Lydia in line, and nothing is posted on the dinner menu." So saying, he walked over to the bar and gestured towards Ben.

When he approached, Zack asked, "Is everything alright?"

Ben shook his head. "From what I understand, Tifa was really worried about Cloud and took him to the terrace garden. Then the kids were concerned when she didn't come back down and went up to check on them. They haven't returned yet, and it's been just busy enough that I can't leave Tony all by himself to head up there." He glanced over at where Lydia was listlessly taking an order. "And Lydia has been in a weird mood ever since you carted Aerith out of here earlier."

Sighing, Zack pinched the bridge of his nose to combat one of those sudden headaches he was still getting on occasion. "Okay. Aerith is calling in the reserves to get everything back on schedule. Any clue what Tifa was planning to offer tonight?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aerith take hold of Lydia's elbow and give it a shake as she spoke sharply to the younger woman.

"I'm not really sure, but there's a big bowl of peeled potatoes on the table in the kitchen. The easiest thing would be fish and chips. It's not one of her usual menu items, so it tends to go over really well when she offers it." Ben glanced back and said apologetically, "I need to get back on the stick; Tony's got some exotic mixes to make and they take time."

Zack waved him away, "Go ahead. We'll take care of the rest if you and Tony don't object." He walked over to where Aerith stood, hands on hips and glaring at the waitress. "Calm down, love of my life. As soon as Tifa walks in and sees how she's acting, there will be very entertaining hell to pay." Steering her into a corner, he repeated what Ben said. "So if you can hang on here for a couple of minutes, I'll go up and see what's going on."

"If she's missing when you get back…" Aerith started grimly.

"Have pity on the woman, Aerith. I think she's just lonely and doesn't know how to separate her personal life from her job yet." Zack ignored her disbelieving snort and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before bounding up the stairs. He was through the office door and onto the terrace before the shock of what he was seeing really registered. Before he could say anything, Denzel's head popped up just beyond Cloud's shoulder and nodded towards the benches.

Moving quietly, he joined the kid and wordlessly asked just what was going on with a wave of his hand towards the trio still asleep on the grass.

Keeping his voice down, the boy informed him, "They were like that when we came up here. And I… that is, we… Well, I…" Helplessly flapping his hands, Denzel tried again to explain, "I don't know why we snuggled in against them, but… I… just wanted to!" The boy was blushing as he stammered a bit more. "The sun, the honeysuckle, they were sleeping, it looked so nice…"

Smiling, Zack laid his hand on Denzel's shoulder and reassured him, "I understand, I really do. That cuddle puddle looks really inviting to me as well." The contented, relaxed expression on Cloud's face was all he could really see at the moment. "Did he wake up when you settled down?"

"No, it was a while later when I felt him tense up, then he started shaking. I told him he was sleeping in case it was a nightmare. And he said mom's name, really soft." Scrunching up his face, Denzel added, "Then he said the word light, almost as quietly. I thought he was complaining about how bright the sun was and offered to get the sunglasses on the bench, but he went right back to sleep."

The whole world opened up for Zack at that moment, and the sudden release of tension and worry nearly tumbled him from the bench. When he regained his senses he found Denzel propping him up, softly whispering his name over and over. "Zack, Zack! Oh, come on, answer me! Zack!"

"It's okay, kid. Just kinda overwhelmed for a moment, there." Righting himself, he brushed a hand over his wildly spiking black hair and gave a sigh of relief as he gripped Denzel's hands. "He's gonna make it, Denz. He's still got a long and hard road to recovery ahead of him, but he's gonna make it." The violet-blue eyes were glimmering in relief, and the **SOLDIER** didn't seem ashamed of the tears streaking down his face.

Confused, Denzel release his hold and asked, "How do you know?"

"Because he's in love with your mom, and has been for over two years." Smiling despite the tears, Zack tried honestly to explain. "Aerith is what saved me while I was trapped down there, in the darkness. And it was a combination of a thousand things about her - the memory of her smile, that wicked giggle, the smell of her hair, those kisses that leave me feeling drugged." He had to laugh at the revulsion on the young boy's face, as well as the gagging sounds he was making. "You think it's mush now, kid, but just you wait. You'll figure it out soon enough when you hit that age."

Shaking his head fiercely, Denzel said pleadingly, "Don't tell me Cloud feels the same way about mom? About MY mom?"

"You should see your face, really. Love isn't a death sentence, you know. And yes, that _is_ the way he feels about Tifa." Rising, he stood looking down at the couple still spooned together and said quietly, "That love will save his life. It kept him sane even in the darkness, and will give him the courage to keep on living now that he's realized his light is right here with him. That's what he meant, Denzel. His light has a name again - the darkness took that away from him, but he didn't forget her. And now his fractured mind has finally connected the two."

Denzel's only response was more gagging.

"Yeah, yeah. Spoilsport." Turning, he eyed the kid and asked, "Know how to cook fish and chips?"

The question surprised him, but he nodded. "That's really simple. Even Marlene can do that."

"Good. The crowd downstairs is getting hungry, and I don't want Tifa to wake up and find out we kept her customers waiting for their meals. It's already going to take some creative thinking to keep her from tearing strips out of Lydia's hide for the way she was treating everyone while working the tables." Crouching down, he gently woke Marlene. As she sat up and knuckled her eyes, he put a finger to his lips to indicate silence, then scooped her up. "Come on, kiddies. We've got a lot of work to do."

As he turned around and headed for the door, Denzel hovered near Cloud and Tifa while protesting in a soft tone, "It'll be dark soon. They'll get cold out here."

Zack and Marlene exchanged an amused look as he entered the office. "They'll keep each other warm. Now come on. Time's a wasting."

-‚¬ƒ-

Not five minutes after Zack and the children left, Tifa jolted awake. For a long moment she wasn't sure where she was, then the memory of pulling Cloud off the bench and onto the grass returned, causing her to carefully turn around. He lay behind her, sleeping peacefully, body curved against hers in a rather intimate manner that had her blushing. Without thought, she gently stroked a hand over the haphazard spikes of his blonde hair…

…and he mumbled very softly, "Tifa… light…" Then breathed out a sigh and finished with, "…my light…" as he rubbed the side of his cheek against her wrist. There was a faint, startlingly innocent smile on his face as he shifted a little closer to her, as though missing her warmth.

All Tifa could do was rest her forehead against his temple and weep, tears of sheer joy streaming down her face as she curled back into his embrace…


End file.
